Wigan men jailed after heroin found stashed in bags of rice in ‘record breaking’ drugs bust

In 2020, Greater Manchester Police recovered one tonne of class A and B drugs – heroin and ketamine - hidden in bags of rice. The estimated street sale value of the drugs was around £300 million.

Following a covert operation by GMP specialist detectives in the Serious Organised Crime Group, police intercepted a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) at Keele services station – packed full of heroin and ketamine.

On December 7 2023, Andrew Tait, 42, of Tram Street, Platt Bridge, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs. Craig Parr, also 42, of Barnham Close, Golborne, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs.

A third man, Stephen King, who was the catalyst for this investigation, died in January 2021 at the age of 43, but his significant role in the conspiracy has been referenced throughout the trial.

In 2019, King was under surveillance, and it soon became clear that he was involved in the drugs trade and associated criminality - however it was not known to what extent or who else was involved.

Detectives launched Operation Somerled to establish this and to dismantle the entire organisation from top down.

As detectives were working on the case, it became clear that something big was on the horizon - they just had to wait for the group to slip up.

On Sunday, January 19 2020, King, who was a lorry driver by trade, hired an HGV. For weeks it sat at an industrial site close to his home address, until Wednesday, January 29, King was on the move.

While under surveillance, King attended Thurrock services in Essex where he met his co-defendants. They enjoyed a beer, then stayed two nights in a hotel before making the journey to the transport depot in Dagenham to collect, what police would soon discover, their multi-million-pound consignment.

On the way back to Manchester, police intercepted Stephen King at Keele services where he’d stopped with the drugs to take a break.

He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and it was during the search of the HGV that police located 10 pallets stacked with 25kg bags of ‘rice’. Six pallets of rice concealing heroin and an encrypted mobile phone were seized from the cab.

Later that day, police were at a farm in Preston associated with the gang, conducting further searches. As they were doing so, Tait arrived, driving into the yard and unknowingly sealing his fate. He was swiftly arrested, and another encrypted mobile phone was seized.

At their sentencing today, Andrew Tait was sentenced to 18 years, while Craig Parr was sentenced to 16 years.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Norman from GMP Serious Organised Crime Group said: “This investigation spanned over three months where we had specialist detectives working around the clock, observing the men go about their daily businesses, often doing very mundane tasks.

"We knew they were involved in criminality, and that something significant was being planned the day King hired the HGV, but it was a case of being patient and vigilant to make sure we didn’t miss anything.

“This discovery is the UK’s largest mainland drugs seizure, and there’s no denying the devastation it would have had on our communities had this product made its way to Manchester. This proactive investigation meant we were able to stop that and prevent future harm.

“I’m grateful to the Criminal Prosecution Service and Counsel whose involvement in this complex case was crucial. They worked closely with us throughout the investigation, over four years, to piece together the evidence which ultimately led to the convictions of these men.”